Grilled Pineapple with Whisky Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream

1 Large Pineapple

2 teaspoons Butter

 ¼ cup Brown Sugar

¼ cup Whiskey  / Brandy / Rum

Vanilla Ice Cream

Method:

Cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, peel and cut it crosswise into 8 rings.

Use a spoon or apple corer to carve out the center core of each ring.

Heat a Griddle pan or a Frying pan over a medium heat, brush the pan with a little vegetable oil to prevent the pineapple from sticking.

Grill / Pan fry the pineapple, in 2 or 3 batches, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until it is nicely brown and grill marks have appeared.

While the last batch of pineapple cooks, heat the butter, sugar and rum in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat.

Place a pineapple ring on each plate, scoop 1/4 cup of ice cream into the center of the ring, and drizzle about 2 teaspoons of sauce on top.

June 2009,

Summer has come to Kerry! We have been blessed with great weather so far this June and hope that it will last well into the season!

There are some great events coming up this Summer in Kerry and lots to do for the whole family.

On the 18th July, the world famous all Girl Band, the Pussycat Dolls are playing Live in Killarney at the Fitzgerald Stadium, which is sure to be a Sell Out gig.

Other events & attractions include the Killarney Summerfest ( Festival is running 3rd – 19th July), go for a Cruise on the lakes of Killarney, a visit to Ross Castle & Muckross House or take a trip around the Ring of Kerry, to name a few.

We have some great deals at the Killarney Court Hotel for June & July, we are offering Two nights Bed & Breakfast One Dinner from € 99pps Midweek and € 119pps On Weekends

There is a great new fun trip, the Original Killarney Ghost Tour, which departs nightly at 20h30. It is a Theatrical Bus Tour, taking you to locations associated with ghostly apparitions, stories & local Folklore, for more information www.killarneyghosttour.com

For more information on any specials, please dont hesistate to contact us on 064 6637070 or email lee@rlynehotels.com

Barbequed Greek Style Chicken with Mediterranean Potato Salad

120 ml olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 g chopped fresh rosemary

2 g chopped fresh thyme

6 g chopped fresh oregano

2 lemons, juiced

1820 g chicken, cut into pieces

Method:

In a glass dish, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lemon juice. Place the chicken pieces in the mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat Barbeque for high heat.

Oil the Grill grid on the barbeque. Place chicken on the grill, and discard the marinade. Cook chicken pieces up to 15 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Smaller pieces will not take as long.

Salmon & Herb Fishcakes

Serves 4

600g skinless salmon fillets

2 bay leaves

small bunch herbs ( Parsley and /or Dill), stalks and fronds separated

600g potatoes , peeled and chopped into even sized chunks

zest 1 lemon

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp mustard

4 tbsp capers , rinsed and dried

flour , for dusting your hands

1 egg , beaten

100g breadcrumbs

4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

lemon wedges to serve

Poaching the Salmon in a little water with the bay leaves and the stalks from the herbs for  about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes then drain the liquid. Flake the salmon into large chunks and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 10 mins, or until tender. Drain well, and then leave to cool in a colander for 2 mins. Mash the potatoes. Stir in lemon zest, mayonnaise, mustard, capers and some seasoning.

Pat away any liquid from the fish, and then carefully lift the pieces into the pan with the mash. With your hands, gently mix together until roughly combined; it should take just a few movements or the fish will break up.

Dust hands and work surface with flour.

Shape a handful of the mix into a patty-shaped cake, about 2.5cm thick.

Repeat to make 8 cakes.

Dip the cakes into the egg, then press into the breadcrumbs all over.

Heat half the oil in a frying pan until very hot.

Fry the fish cakes for 5 mins each side until golden.

Repeat with the rest, adding extra oil if neccessary

Serve with lemon wedges & Mayonnaise.

Letter from the General Manager.

Here we are at the start of April and another season ahead of us .The winter period has been quieter than others but we still have had a productive winter and been able to offer great rates for our guests and will do so for the coming year as can be seen from our specials page on this website .

 For example we had our Murder Mystery weekend ‘EMERGENCY ROOM’ on the 6th & 7th March, which was a great hit with our guests as they got to solve the crime and have a wild weekend at the same time. We also have another ‘Murder ‘weekend planned for the autumn ‘Haunted House’ at the  Halloween Weekend.

Right throughout the summer we will be updating our specials regularly so keep an eye on them for the best offer in town .Killarney has plenty to offer you all year round with festivals, concerts, and loads of activities for all the family. The Killarney Court is ideally sited to make use of these as we are just on the edge of town but not so far as to make a difference.

I hope that you have a good year and that you holiday with us here in Killarney. As always, we are here to help and assist you in whatever way we can. I can be contacted on derek@killarneycourthotel.com . Please feel free to contact me at any time and hopefully I can be of service.

Derek Carroll.

General Manager. 

Hello to Everyone reading this blog!

My name is Eric, I am the Head Chef in the Killarney Court Hotel.

I have been working here for almost 2 years and everyday it’s a new experience.

In the hotel and restaurant business you are learning all the time and no matter how old you are or how much experience you have, everyday is a challenge to improve yourself, perfect recipes and find new exciting food combinations/recipes.

I love the challenge! My job seems simple: Supervise the good running of the Kitchen, but its not always as easy as you think! There are long working days which can be pretty stressful! My day starts by doing a stock take and then if needed I place orders to the different suppliers. And I am always looking out for new ingredients and products and if there are ever special offers on.

Then I check with reception what the bookings for the evening’s dinner are looking like, and see if there if are any groups or tours booked in.

During the Summer season, we often have up to 3 large tours every night that have dinner, and they could often stay for 2 or 3 nights at a time, so I need to make sure that they don’t have the same meal twice!

As Lunch approaches, we need to get the Carvery ready for a very busy lunch service, I need to make sure that the quality of all meals are consistent, that we always have a fresh supply of vegetables & potatoes, and make sure that we don’t run out of anything on the Carvery.

The Carvery service finishes at 3pm and then we commence with Bar food, which is served from 3pm – 9pm and the restaurant opens at 6pm for dinner.

There is always something to do in the kitchens, whether it is food preparation, menu planning, ordering, cleaning, dealing with issues during service etc. Its all part of the job.

My Dad was a chef and he told me there were many a time when he wanted to take off his apron and walk away from the job but he never did! It’s a crazy job to be a chef and a crazy life too! But there is a special buzz in the Hotel/Restaurant business that you don’t find anywhere else like it!! You have a connection with your team mates and the other staff members, that you are all in this together! This is why we I love my job, and this is what keeps me going during a hard day!

Thanks!

Easy Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:

500g Raisins

500g Sultanas

125g Dates, chopped

125g Currants

125g Mixed Peel

125g Glace Cherries, chopped

½ Cup Brandy

500g Softened Butter

500g Brown Sugar

10 eggs

4 Carrots

1 tsp Mixed Spice

3 Tbl sp Golden Syrup

500g fresh breadcrumbs

125g plain flour

1 ½ tsp salt

This is a very simple recipe for the microwave oven, and makes 2 Christmas puddings.

Place the fruit in a large bowl. Pour the brandy over the fruit and allow to soak covered, overnight.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add one lightly beaten egg at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining ingredients.

Grease and line a 2.5 litre pudding basin. Pour in half the mixture ( to 2.5cm/1” from the top of the basin) and smooth over the top.

Cook on medium for 28 muinutes. Remove from the microwave oven and allow to cool slightly. Repeat the procedure with the remaining half of the mixture.

Turn the pudding out of the basin and remove the paper lining. Serve hot or Cold.

Salmon & Smoked Haddock Chowder    

Serves 8

50g Butter

1 Onion, chopped

100g plain flour

700ml Fish Stock

225ml Milk

1 bay leaf

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

450g Salmon, skinned & cubed

450g Smoked Haddock, cubed

Black pepper

Chopped Parsely

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and then fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the flour & stir until smooth. Add the fish stock & milk, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 8 – 10 minutes. Add the cubed Salmon & haddock, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add black pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley & serve.

Renew Beauty Centre

Tip of the month

As you all know Summer is setting in (well at least that’s what it is supposed to be doing) so our top tip for the month is to moisturize! “The key to hydration is through exfoliation”-that was drummed into us at beauty school and it works! Its common sense really, what is the point of lashing on moisturizer if it’s not going anywhere. Your moisturizer needs to penetrate deep down into the skin to hydrate it, so how do I get it to do that I hear you say? The answer is simple, through exfoliation! Exfoliate twice a week before bed-time is the best. You have two choices, First a Scrub which contains granules which removes dead skin, build up of dirt and grim-good for oily/combination skin types, Second is a Peel, you have a choice of a hydrating gel or cream that gently removes the build up of dirt and grim while hydrating the skin, good for dry/sensitive skins. You will find your moisturizer will absorb into your skin much better, plus you will use LESS moisturizer! Your wallet will love you for it. I can promise you your skin will be glowing!!

Here are some great home recipes for exfoliating the face and body:

Coffee Scrub for the Body- ‘This scrub is a great one for tackling cellulite. Caffeine is known for braking down the soft fat that causes cellulite. Use three times a week for best results!

Ingredients:                                                            

2 cups of coarsely ground coffee

½ cup of sugar or sea salt

2-3 tablespoons of massage oil.

 Method

¬     Mix all together in a bowl.

¬     Take a hot shower to moisten skin & open pores.

¬     Using circular motions rub the coffee exfoliate onto your skin, with strong, even pressure.

¬     Shower off and pat yourself dry.

¬     Apply a good anti-cellulite body lotion (My favorite is Estee Lauder Slimming body gel; this also has caffeine extracts to further stimulate the brake down of that soft stubborn fat!) Volia!!!  You are now glowing!!

By Amanda Arthur

For more information please contact Renew Salon at:

·     Killarney Court Hotel – (064) 37070

·     Riverside Hotel – (064) 39200

·     Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort – (064) 42599

Letter from the General Manager

Dear Guest,

                     Thank you for looking at our website for the Killarney Court Hotel. I hope that you find it easy to navigate and pleasing on the eye. I also hope that the ‘BLOG’ that we are including at present is interesting for you and gives you an insight into what we are about here at the ‘Court’.

                      We decided to do the blog having seen how it can help people understand what properties are like and what makes them tick. The recepies come from our Head Chef Eric Zsabo, who operates with a good brigade of 6 chefs. I hope you try out his recommendations as they are very tasty indeed. Our ‘Day in the life’ articles are an attempt to let you see how we operate in sometimes a humorous fashion ; as we all need a bit of humour in our everyday life. I do an article each month also. I try to portray how we are here in Killarney and our unique approach to life.

I hope we are succeeding in our aim and look forward to meeting you in the future if you come and stay with us.

See you soon…….Derek Carroll.